Trip Reports

We were not able to do this 2 night backpack as planned. A sign at FS road #2740 proclaimed ""Road Closed August 1-31"". I did not think they would start work on a Friday but did not want to get blocked in so we went into the Quilcene ranger station for additional information. They said they had only heard of the closure the previous day and could not give us any hope that the road would not be blocked that day. We reluctantly hiked the Quilcene River instead.

On the way out on Sunday we drove the ""closed"" road to the trailhead and found 4 cars there that must have arrived on the weekend. We could have done our trip as planned but were deprived of the opportunity by not having a good information source. Oh well, we'll need hikes in the Fall as well.

Thanks to work by WTA volunteers the trail is clear, except for one work-around tree in the snow near the shelter. Trail is in good shape, but there is about 2 feet of snow, on which one can mostly walk on top with a few ""post holes"", beginning about 1/3 mile from the shelter. The shelter looks fine, too. Trillium are out along the trail, and foxglove and paintbrush are along the road in to the trailhead.

Arrived at the trailhead and unexpectedly ran into a WTA BCRT!! Their efforts were noticeable along the first two miles of trail. Approaching within a half mile of the Tunnel Creek Shelter (3.7 miles in) there were some other blowdowns of medium size trees, however, the blowdowns were still in the grips of winter snow. They would prove difficult to clean up at this time.

The bridge crossing Tunnel Creek has lost one of its handrails. Nothing impossible, but a four inch blowdown could be put to good use.

Full trip report, photos, and video can be viewed at: http://mikeshikes.blogspot.com/

Thank you WTA!!

Mike

Looking for a low level hike, Tunnel Creek seemed like a good place to go.

The trail itself is in good shape. However, there are several blow downs that block the trail. Can get around or under them, but they will need some attention this summer. Hit serious snow at 3600' (before we got to the shelter). Lot of foot paths, so hard to find the trail beyond that.

Although the day looked promising, and we could see the Olympics clearly from the Hood Canal Bridge, as the day went on the clouds converged over the tops of the peaks, and by the time we reached our destination: the highest peaklet along the ridge above Harrison Lake, we were unable to see most of Mount Constance, which is directly opposite, and very close to the ridge. Nonetheless, it was a great hike despite the final disappointment. The road to the trailhead is in decent shape and the first 2.7 miles to the campsite is clear of debris and easy to follow. It goes along the creek at first and there are some wonderful giant trees and masses of water-side vegetation. It climbs gradually and moves away from the creek and you don't see it again until you reach the camp, at 3800',about 1200 feet of elevation from the trailhead (2600'). There is a bridge over the creek a short distance from the camp. Unfortunately, half of its guardrail is now missing. I have to admit to a moment of ""high anxiety"" in walking across those few steps without a railing, but actually, the bridge is quite sound.

When I had checked the information board at the ranger station in Quilcene, it said that the trail had 12 trees down past the switchbacks. I asked the ranger about it and she checked their records and told me that she thought they had been cleared. I did hope she was right, because the trail becomes so steep after you cross the creek that it would be a real pain to have to climb over 12 trees. I'm happy to say that all the trees have been cleared! The trail is in good shape, due to all the hard work the forest service and the trail crews (I think WTA has worked on this trail) have done. Of course, there are sections of it that just can't feasibly be improved, when it has to negotiate some difficult rocks. But those sections are short, fortunately.

The trail reaches Harrison Lake at about 4.1 miles and then climbs steeply up above it to the ridge. The deep cloud cover made everything look mysterious--and a bit ominous. We were the only people on the trail (except at the very end, when we were on our way down, we encountered a lone backpacker, who was planning to spend the night on the ridge). When we reached the top of the ridge, we took the way-trail that goes to the right, just before the trail begins to descend towards the Dosewallips. It's more distinct than it was when we first hiked here ten years ago, when we lost it on the way down. It becomes more of a scramble as you reach the top of the peak. Although we couldn't see the snowfields on Constance, right across from us, we could see Seattle in the far distance to the east, looking pink and shiny under a thin cloud cover. There was plenty of sunshine down in the Dosewallips valley too. This unnamed peak is about at 5400 feet, 300 feet higher than the crest of the ridge.